These days the marriage ceremony really is a matter of choice. The real reason it became an institution in the first place was to secure a safe environment for any children of that union, to handle property rights and protect bloodlines.

Although not a necessity these days, I still think it is a good idea but would never foist those ideas on anyone. The fact is, there are many unhappy marriages and also many unhappy de facto relationships. Either way, children suffer.

The principle of marriage has always been to provide a stable home life for the rearing of children…but this is not always the case.

Personally, I feel  before couples decide to have children, they ought to draw up legal documents as to how they intend to look after those children both emotionally and financially.

Marriage is a God-given institution since the Garden of Eden!

Violate that - and suffer the consequences!

Ephesians 5:33 ...every husband must LOVE his wife as himself, and every wife must RESPECT her husband.

There is so little RESPECT from women towards the fathers of their children these days!

Malachi 4:6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.

Much Domestic Violence is caused when women won't allow the father/s of their children see their own kids!

God didn't help then, did he, Pacahawi, when he gave His son to the world.  He chose a virgin girl untainted and unsullied by human male to create his son.

I get totally sick of the phrases such as "kids who didn’t have dads", "single mothers" even "single parent" gates on me. All kids have DADS - it's a biological impossibility not to, where there is a single mother , somewhere there is an equally single DAD probably kept from his kids by a vengeful woman. Then once this narrative has become the norm we are meant to be sorry for the poor hard done by 'single mother' and continue with the handouts along with the tea and sympathy. I am sick of celebrities who change partners more often than  other people have hot dinners then whinge about being single mothers as if they are not already in a very privileged position.

Men just do not have the same equity in the family court as women. But that does not mean they are any less of a loving parent than the 'mother' and they are equally single!

Does anyone care? Yes I do. We are all paying for the single parent syndrome both financially in social security benefits and frequent anti-social or criminal behaviour of the resultant kids who are inadequately parented.

Single parents seem to be the major complainant group about lack of affordable rentals. They are a major primary cause of the problem;  broken families require more homes. 

If people really knew more about their partners before they jump into bed with them we might have fewer broken families and less domestic violence.

Just for the record, I don't care whether a child is born in or out of wedlock. I like to believe that we have moved on from such old fashioned ideas. 

As long as a child is happy. loved and healthy and gets a good education, then we should all be happy for them.

I would mention to the men who are bitter about not having access to their children after divorce...you have valid reasons. I am on your side but only if you are a good person. A lot more has to be done by the Court system to give equal and safe access to children by both parents.